Mixing valve



Aug. 19, 1930. K. A. WERNLE MIXING VALVE Filed Nov. 3, 1927 other orboth ofthe valve plungers, or their ARL A. WERNLE; or CHICAGO, rumors, ASSIGNOR To J MES B. cLow & CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A conroimrron or ILLINOIS a more their construction has been such that Patented Aug. 19, 1930 PATENT]ioFFIc sons, or.

7 .MIXING VALVE J 1 Application me November 3, 1927. Serial No. 230,719. f

The invention hereinafter disclosed .per-

tains to mixing valves of the character iniliar 1n shower baths, hospltal sinks, and

wherever it is desired to mix hot'and cold water toobtainfwater of the temperature desired. 1

Mostmixing valves of the character generalized above have been oft-he type illustrated in Newton Patent 927,000 ofrJuly 6, .1909,*in which the plungers controlling the amount and character of the water admitted are self-closing, or of-that type illustrated in 'Niedecken Patent No. 1,001,431'of August 22,1911, in which the control plungers are directly connected'to a hand lever'for' manual operation. Of'the two types the first, the self-closing plunger type, is, perhaps, the most certain and satisfactory in its operation for many reasons, but on the other-hand presents numerous other difficulties, for instance in manufacture, repair and mainteflnance, which, so far as I am aware, have defied satisfactory solution.

One of the chief; difliculties encountered withthe selfclosing type of f mixing valve lies in the c'onstructlon' and arrangement of the several parts, which by reason" of such construction and arrangement'are more or .less'diliicult to manufacture, assemble and repair and are almost inaccessible. Furthero-Iie' of the valve plungers' used in this type has previously been arranged to'open before the other and to close afterthe other, which veryjoften resulted in leakage, due'to the fact that tl'i e operator or the mechanism failed topermit the last shutting valve to closetightly, or possibly to 'the fact that one valve operating; before the other were one or the seats,jsoi1that they would'not tightlyclose when the instrument was shut 0E. I

Accordingly it is a primary object of my --.invention' to-provide-a valvejof the selfufacture, install andrepair, and capable of long life under all conditions of use.

--Agfurther object of the invention is to provide a satisfactory arrangementwhereby the rate orfquantity of fiowof water or the like from the mixing valve may be controlled and a maximum temperature of water at the outlet from the mixing valve regulated so that for given temperatures in the hot water or steam'line and the cold water line, a predetermined water temperature and volume may be had at the outlet. 1

Further' 'objects, as well as the advantages,

the functions, and uses of my invention will be or should become clearly apparentafter reading the following description and claims and after viewing the drawings in which:

Fig.1 is a vertical sectional View through one form of "valve embodying the invention taken'on line 1:1 of; Fig. 8, some parts being omitted, r v

' Fig. 2 islikewise a vertical sectional "view of the valve-taken at right angles to the View of Fig. 1, taken; along line 22 of Fig. 3, and i I Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 -3'of Fig. 1. r

A" generally-cup-shaped casing, having a bottom wall 2 and a substantially cylindrical side wall 3 terminating in an outwardly flanged circumferential lip 4, is provided with a-boss 5 and a boss 6, 'eachofwhichis' tapped for connection-to a water-supply pipe,

the first forconnection to a hot water line and the last for connection to a cold water line. Hollow bosses 7 and 8, divided by a partition 9 and provided with common side walls 11 and .12 project downwardly from the bottom wall 2 of the casing and upwardlytherein, and together with the valve seats and plunger valves, to be described, divide the casing into three separate chambers-13, 14 and 15, the

hot and cold water receiving chambers and themixing chamber, respectively.

j The casing is also provided with a; boss16 suitably'tapped for the reception of an outlet pipe forpassage of water from the Fmixing chamber 15. The wallsll and 12 of the chambers Band 14 terminate! at their'u'ppe'ren'ds in outwardly flanged portions 17 and, 18 respectively and are provided with openings in which removable and replaceable valve seat members 19 and 21 are secured by means of cap screws 22 which pass into the flanges 17 and 18. The downwardly depending cir cumferential faces of the valve seat members form the seats against which plunger valves 23 and 24: seat. p v

Ehe plunger valves are provided, as is usual, with differential grooves, the grooves in the hot water plunger extending to the top of the plunger but not to the bottom thereof and the grooves in the cold water plunger" extending to the bottom thereof but not to the top. The plungers are adapted to slide up and down through the valve seat members 19, and 21 in Operation, while a flange 25 on each carries a gasket'or the like on its upper surface in order that water tight contact may be made with the valve seats and the lower end of each is provided with a cylindrical portion 26 adapted to be received in a cylindrical guide boss 27 upstand ing from the central portion of the bottom wall of the bosses? and 8. .A'coiled spring 28 surrounds each projection 26 and each guide 27 and abuts at one end against the I bottom wall of the bosses 7- and 8 and at its other end aga nst the under side of the flanges 25,.

A cover 29 closes the mouth of the casing and is secured thereto in any suitable manner 1 water-tight relation as by a gasket .31 and screws 32. A center portion of the casing onits outer or upper side is provided with a boss 33 through which a valve operating stem 34 projects and-in which and about the valve stem 3% packing 35 may be placed and secured by packing gland nut 36. The valve stem-3 lprojects internally of the casing and at its inner end has a thrust screw 37 keyed or otherwise similarly secured to it. Preferably. however, the thrust-screw secured to the inner end'ofthe stem by being slid over "i the squared end portion 34 and secured thereto by a screw 34' in such manner that it may beremoved. A thrust bar 38 is mounted upon andthreadedly engaged with the screw 37. It will be noted that the stem isproidedwith an integral thrust collar 3r bears at its lowe'r'side against a circumferential projection 34" and which at, its upper side engages a washer 35 placed between it and the packing 35. The thrust screw 37 finds a bearing at '37 against the underside of the cover 29, more particularly against the circumferential projection 34. Thuspressure directed from the outside end toward the inner end of the stem 34 cannot affect the thrust bar-.38 orthe valve-plungers, and all thrusts transmitted to the-thrust screw from t-he valveplungers are absorbed by the bearing shoulder 37.. Furthermore, rotation of 2 the stem will not afiectithe packing 35.

The'thrust bari38is extended atone side the valves tightly against their seats.

which to provide yoke arms 39 adapted to closely, but slidably, embrace a sleeve ll threaded secured in an internally projecting boss l2 on the cover 29. In this manner, the thrust bar is prevented from rotating under the action of the thrust screw 37 when a handle l3 carried by the stem 34 is swung to open or close the valve.

In order to limit the extent of downward movement of the thrust bar and thereby control thetemperature and output of the water from the outlet, the sleeve il is internally threaded for the reception of an adjustment screw havingan outwardly flanged head let of sufiicient diameter to permit it to engage the bottom surface of the yoke arms in their downward movement. For the purposeof permitting adjustment of the adj ustment screw, itis provided with a reduced unthreaded shank portion 45 which projects upwardly through the sleeve, the packing recess 46,. and a stuffing. box or packing gland nut 4'1, to the exterior of the cover whereby it may beadjusted by engagement of a screw driver in a slot 48. T he end of the shank portion 45 may be terminated in any suitable fashionto be engaged by any suitable tool,

It will be noted that the thrust bar in the arrangement illustrated engages the top ends of the plunger valves simultanenously so that there could be little, if any, wobbling of the parts which would occurshould the thrust bar engage one valve and then the other were my valve not otherwise constructed and arranged to prevent it. However, it is not necessary that the thrust bar engage the valves simultaneously .or permit them, so

to close since the thrust. bar is arranged with sufiicient clearance at its upper limit of ferred embodiment of my invention, numerous changes of construction and arrangement may be made therein without'departing from'the'spirit of the in'vention'or the scope of the appended claims.

I cl im":

1. In a mixing valve, a cup-shaped casing previded'with independent inlet chamhere in the bottom of the casing, a mixing 'chamberadj'a'cent the mouth of the casing,

an inlet for each inlet chamber, an opening from each inlet chamber to said mixing chamher and an outlet from said mixing chamber, a removable cover over the mouth of said casing, a valve seat member in each opening between the inlet and mixing chambers removable from and through the mouth of the casing'and presenting seat surfaces directed away from the mixing chamber toward the bottom of the casing, aplurality of screws surfaces, a valve stem rotatably mounted 1 through said cover, a thrust screw removably securedito the interior end of said stem, a thrust bar threadedly connected with said screw and engageable with the ends of said I plungers in the mixing chamber, and means for securingsaid bar against rotation but permitting its movement longitudinally of said stem, whereby upon rotationof said stem in one direction saidthrust bar will urge said plungers away from their seats against the action of said springs.

2. In a mixing valve, a substantially cupshaped casing having a mixing chamber, a pair of hollow bosses having a common wall rising from the bottom of the casing into said mixing chamber and opening into the latter at their tops, each boss having an inlet port adjacent its bottom for connection to a water source and said casing having an outlet port from said mixing chamber, a valve valvein each boss having a seat cooperative seat member over the opening of each boss removable from and through the mouth of said casing and presenting a downwardly directed scat surface interior of each boss, means for removably and independently securing said members to said bosses, a plunger with the seat surface of its respective seat member and projecting upwardly into said mixing chamber, the maximum diameter of said plungers being less than the diameter of the opening into the mixing chamber of their respective bosses, spring means, removable through said boss openingsiinto the mixing chamber, below said plungers and normally urging them upward against their seats, a removable cover over the mouth of said mixing chamber, means interior of said cover for moving said plungers from their seats, means projecting through said cover for operating said plunger moving means, and adjustable means for limiting the extent of opening of said plungers comprising an 111- ternally threaded sleeve pro ecting inwardly of said cover and secured thereto in alignment with an opening therethrough to the exterior, a screw member having a head of a diameter greater than the diameter of said a meter ofsaid sleeve and projecting through i said cover to the exterior thereof,a packing gland a packing recess about the said unnunthr'ea dedport on-on the exterior ,of said cover, anda yoke secured, to said thrust bar embracing said 'sleeveand adapted to contact with said head at the end of its movement in one direction, said unth'readed portion of the screw member having a slot in itsoutwardly T tion of said valve by said stem, and a threaded member carried by said casing extending thereinto beyond said thrust bar adjustable from the exterior-of the casing and providedwith a stop for limiting the inward movementof the thrust bar.

4. In a mixing valve, a casing providing inlet and outlet ports and a mixing charn- 'bar operable in' ac cordance with the operaher, plunger valves in said casing between said inlet and outlet ports and operable from as the interior of said mixing chamber, said casin havin an o'enin to said mixin chamher, a valve operating stem rotatably mounted through said opening with an end projecting into said chamber, a thrust screw secured to said end of said stem for rotation therewith, said thrust screw bearing against an interior portion of said casing about said opening, a thrust bar threadedly connected with said screw and engageable with the ends of said plungers in the mixing chamber, and means for securing said bar against rotation. a

5. In a mixing valve, afcup-shaped casing providing inletand outlet ports and a mixing chamber, said mixing chamber being adjacent the mouth of'the casing, a cover for the mouth of the casing, said cover having a valve stem opening therethrough, plunger valves in said casing between said inlet and.

outlet ports and operable from the interior of the mixing chamber, a valve operating stem having one end disposed through said opening, athrust shoulder in said cover about said opening, a thrust screw secured to said end of said stem and adapted to bear againstsaid'shoulder, a packing gland about saidstem, a thrust bar threadedly connected withsaid screw andengageable with the ends of said plungers in the mixing chamber, and

means for securing said bar against rotation. 6. In a mixing valve, a casing providing inlet and outlet ports and a mixing chamher, said mixing chamber being adjacent the top of the casing, a cover for the top of the casing, said vcover having a valve stem opening therethrough and a packing recess about said opening, said recess provldmg a circumferential shoulder about said 1 opening, plunger valves in said casing between said inlet and outlet ports and operable, from the interior of the mixing chamher, a valve operating stem having one end disposed through said opening, a thrust collar secured to said stem and enga 'ed with said circumferential shoulder within said packing recess, a thrust screw secured to said end of said stem and engaging said circumferential shoulder at the inner side of said cover, a thrust bar threadedly engaged with said thrust screw and engageable with the endsof said plungers in the mixing chamber, and means for securing said bar against rotation.

In Witness of the foregoing I aiiix my signature.

KARL A. WERNLE. 

